Obituary of Maria Matassa

Maria Portera was born on September 15th,1935 in the Sicilian town of Cefalu. She was the daughter of Salvatore Portera and Salvatora Culotta. Her mother Salvatora Culotta was born in Laurel, Mississippi in 1909 but moved back to Sicily at the age of 5. On September 15, 1956 Maria married Giuseppe Matassa. Their first daughter Concetta Maria was born in 1958. Six months after the birth of Concetta they emigrated to Staten Island, New York having acquired the rights to emigrate through her mother who was an American. In the following years, Giuseppe Matassa filed petitions for the rest of his wife's family to be able to emigrate also. Maria had two more daughters born on Staten Island, Doreen and Luisa. Maria was a dedicated mother and housewife. Her three daughters are all married and she has a total of six grandchildren. In the past six years she had been suffering from Parkinson's disease. She prayed the rosary every day. God gave her the grace to die at home a peaceful death. She will always be remembered and missed.